Trump voices wish to meet Kim as he hosts ROK leader

Lee asks Washington to play role in bringing peace to Korean Peninsula

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he wanted to meet with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's top leader this year, as the visiting Republic of Korea's new president asked him to play a role in "establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula".

Lee Jae-myung, who took office in early June, arrived in the United States on Sunday. He also sent a special envoy to Beijing, conveying the new ROK government's message of "attaching great importance to developing relations with China".

Lee, 61, showered Trump with praise at the beginning of their first meeting at the White House.